I wonder about that "line" Cohen writes about. Did he utter the phrase "I love you, Mrs. Jennings" or was it something more familiar? And what sort of handshake did he give Peter Jennings? A firm, manly one that conveyed integrity?

In four panels, and with three verbatim quotes, you've successfully revealed the inner monologue of one so terrified by otherness he seeks to raise himself above all else in the cosmos, just so he'll never be scared again.